Raw Intel

You know about The Long Game, you know about comparative shipbuilding numbers between the USN and the PLAN ... but have you seen the pictures? Behold the graphs I've put over at USNIBlog. Regulars here will not be shocked ... but if anyone tells you all is well in WESTPAC, they are fools or think you are one. Check it out. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DPbEJ2TsanA:utLp9GvKxP8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DPbEJ2TsanA:utLp9GvKxP8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=DPbEJ2TsanA:ut…

Latest updates: Battle for Oshkosh: Will FHTV re-bid copy FMTV mistake? THAAD on HEMTT (click to view full) In 2009, with its bridge buy of FMTV medium trucks in place, and initial awards for the potential JLTV Hummer replacement designs underway, the next order of business on the US Army’s agenda was a new Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles multi-year contract: FHTV-III. That multi-billion dollar FHTV-III contract has been awarded – not as a re-compete like FMTV, but as a single-source solicitation. Oshkosh has provided the core of this capability for over 20 yeas now. Its Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) and their 13-ton payloads are the mainstay of …

That is, of course, a subject question. However, there are objective facts that stand independent of that subjectivity.Where you are in time and place is important. In the area of national security, disconnects and discontinuities in time and place caused by a desire for reality to be what we want it to be consume the finite resources of time, money, and focus from actions to address what reality actual is. Denial fed by delusional distractions, as it were. Take a moment to back up a bit and think about the top national security concerns of 2021. What do they signal to you as the most important parts of the United States’ national security infrastructure needs to inve…

For a decade and a half here we have yelled, begged, pleaded for Continental European NATO - especially Germany - to rise to the challenge of the 21st Century and pull their fair share of the load to keep peace in Europe. I have warned even longer IRL until it has become tiresome that they do not realize that the American public is just one election away from shrugging being Europe's security blanket. Everything regresses to the mean, and at our heart we are a mercantile republic, not an empire. WWII and the Cold War warped the nature of our relationship with Europe, and the force of regressing back to our natural state will bring us back across the Atlantic and looking t…

Some developments on the "Diversity Statement" front ... or "DEI Statement" or "DEIA Statement" or whatever they are calling it this week. How do you connect the U.S. Naval Academy to the University of South Carolina, Florida, VMI, and the University of North Carolina System? Let's check in where the other school's are, and then we'll finish up what is happening at our Navy's undergrad institution. Thanks to John Sailer we have a look behind the curtain at the not so innocent "Diversity Statements" that so many colleges are making people fill out when applying for a teaching or tenure track position. Sure, they may tell you that there is no correct answer ... but ... …

Americas Boeing won a $22.5 million deal for CH-47 long lead items by the US Army. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September 30, 2024. The CH-47F is an advanced multi-mission helicopter for the US Army and international […]View the full article

Americas Austal USA has teamed with Kiewit Infrastructure South Co. and Pearlson Shiplift to design and construct a new part of its manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. The “major expansion” will see the development of a hub at the southern portion of Austal’s existing waterfront yard. Three branches of the US military have joined forces for […]View the full article

United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has handed over new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers to the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to UAC, the aircraft completed the full cycle of factory testing, were verified across multiple operating modes, and have already flown to their home airfield. The Su-34 is designed to strike ground, surface, and air targets — […] The post Russian Air Force receives new Su-34 combat aircraft first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

The U.S. Army is calling on defense contractors to propose solutions for the development of an extended-range 155mm projectile as part of its Next Generation Rocket Assisted Projectile (NGRAP) program. The request, issued through a sources sought notice by the Army Contracting Command-New Jersey (ACC-NJ), supports efforts led by the Project Manager for Combat Ammunition […] The post U.S. Army looks to expand artillery range first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

Sikorsky has debuted its new U-Hawk prototype cargo drone, a fully autonomous utility aircraft developed from the UH-60L Black Hawk, at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2025 exposition. The system eliminates the cockpit, expands internal cargo space, and is designed to conduct long-range, uncrewed missions using tablet-based operator control. According to the […] The post Sikorsky cuts cockpit, turns Black Hawk into drone first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

A mobilized Russian tank crew member fighting in Ukraine has given a candid account of the T-80BVM main battle tank, sharply criticizing its quality, reliability, and battlefield performance. The remarks were published by the outlet Vault8 in an interview with a tanker identifying himself by the callsign “Tim.” The T-80BVM is one of the Russian […]View the full article

The Republic of China Navy (Taiwan) has issued a public request for a naval suicide drone system and associated control infrastructure. The request, dated December 8, 2025, outlines the Navy’s interest in developing or acquiring unmanned surface vessels (USVs) capable of high-speed, long-range autonomous missions under contested conditions. According to the notice, the project falls […]View the full article

United States President Donald Trump announced that he has directed the federal government to raise the 2027 military budget target from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, framing the increase as necessary “for the Good of our Country” during what he described as a period of “very troubled and dangerous times.” Trump made the statement in […]View the full article

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is supporting a multi-agency operation to secure U.S. airspace during Super Bowl LX, scheduled for February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium, the command said. As part of its homeland defense mission, NORAD’s Continental U.S. NORAD Region is providing aerospace warning and aerospace control in direct coordination with federal, state, […]View the full article

U.S. Central Command confirmed that the United States used the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) in combat for the first time during Operation Epic Fury, marking the operational debut of the long-range surface-to-surface missile developed to replace the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). In a statement, U.S. Central Command said: “In a historic first, long-range Precision […]View the full article

I grew up with the Apollo Program and some of my earliest memories were watching astronauts during the lunar landings. You could see the Saturn V launches from my backyard. Just as I was getting old enough to really enjoy it, it all stopped. The 1970s. The worst people for the worst reasons killed the space program as it became part of the national malaise of the 1970s, the core of which was defined by the period from the last person on the moon in 1972 through the fall of Saigon three years later, and bookended by the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-80. For those who received the promise of 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as to what the future in space would be never fulfil…

SummaryThis episode features Dr. Colin Dueck, with Mark and Sal, discussing the historical and strategic importance of U.S. policy towards Latin America, the evolution of the Monroe Doctrine, and current challenges and opportunities in the hemisphere. Discussion is centered on how U.S. foreign policy can shape the future of the region amid great power competition. You can listen at this link, subscribe to the podcast, or listen via the Spotify widget below. Show LinksWhy the Monroe Doctrine Still Matters, Colin Dueck Dr. Colin Dueck’s AEI page China’s Growing Influence in Latin America, Council on Foreign Relations Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America The b…

Canada signed two contract amendments with Lockheed Martin on May 15, committing a combined $1.15 billion to keep its CC-130J Hercules tactical transport fleet flying and modernized through the end of the decade. The first amendment, valued at $462 million, extends the current maintenance and support contract through June 2029. The second, estimated at $684 […]View the full article

A Cold War-era tank first fielded in 1965 is about to get a new brain, a new gun system, and a new purpose on one of the most dangerous battlefields in the world. Defense analyst Jeff, writing for Defense Archives on Monday, reported that a Cockerill spokesperson confirmed to him at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris […]View the full article

MITS Capital, an American-Ukrainian investment group, announced on July 9 that it has invested in Dropla Tech, a Danish-Ukrainian defense technology company whose flagship system detects landmines, improvised explosive devices, and ambush drones in real time, though neither company disclosed the deal size or Dropla Tech’s current valuation. Dropla Tech’s core technology, called Blue Eyes […]View the full article